UFC 155 Pickett-Wineland winner 'possible' as next top bantamweight contender

LAS VEGAS – Brad Pickett and Eddie Wineland both said they could get on board with a title shot with a win on Saturday.

Now they may have at least some preliminary support from their boss.

UFC President Dana White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the bantamweight bout between Pickett (22-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Wineland (19-8-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) may very well determine who’s next in line for a shot at the 135-pound belt.

That title is held by Dominick Cruz, who will be out for the foreseeable future as he continues to rehab from surgery for a blown knee. This past July, Renan Barao won the interim title by beating Urijah Faber at UFC 149.

Pickett and Wineland meet in the final fight on the preliminary card of UFC 155 on Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Their fight airs on FX following additional prelims on Facebook and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Barao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is set to defend the interim strap for the first time in February when he meets Michael McDonald (15-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 7 in London.

With Cruz out, Barao may be looking at multiple defenses of the interim title before the champion can return for a title unification fight. And that may wind up working to the advantage of Pickett or Wineland.

“It’s possible (they’re next in line),” White told MMAjunkie.com. “The champ’s out, and the interim champ is the man.”

White’s feelings about Pickett are well documented, and he reiterated them on Thursday.

“I love Pickett,” White said. “I’m actually a huge Pickett fan. It’s always weird when I say I’m a fan of some guy, but I’m a huge fan of Pickett. I love the way this guy fights. I love his style.”

That style in September led to the Brit’s first knockout in more than four years, and it came in front of his home countrymen at UFC on FUEL TV 5 in Nottingham, England. Pickett stopped Yves Jabouin in that fight with one punch – appropriate for his “One Punch” nickname.

The win was his third second straight after a submission of Damacio Page at UFC on FUEL TV 2 in April. Prior to that, in his UFC debut, the former WEC fighter was submitted in the first round by Barao. So if he were to go on to a possible interim title shot against Barao, should the Brazilian get past McDonald, it would be a rematch from their UFC 138 bout.

Pickett has won bonuses in three straight fights. The win over Jabouin picked him up “Knockout of the Night” honors, and the fights with Page and Barao both resulted in “Fight of the Night” checks for the American Top Team-trained fighter.

Wineland in June snapped a two-fight skid that saw him drop decisions to Faber and Faber teammate Joseph Benavidez, and he did so emphatically. His knockout of Scott Jorgensen at UFC on FX 3 was the first time Jorgensen had ever been knocked out. The “Fight of the Night” knockout was big enough that it also contended for a “Knockout of the Night” bonus at the show in Florida.

“(Wineland), what he did in the last event – wow,” White said. “(Wineland) coming off his last win, if he can beat Pickett, too – this is a big fight for both these guys.”

Before coming to the UFC in the merger with the WEC, Wineland, the WEC’s first bantamweight champ, had a four-fight win streak that included back-to-back “Knockout of the Night” wins – one from a body shot and one from a slam. His loss to Faber in the co-main event of UFC 128 in March 2011 resulted in a title shot for Faber. Wineland won the first round against the former featherweight champ in that fight, but takedowns for Faber in the second and third frames sealed the deal and sent Wineland back to the drawing board.

Both Pickett and Wineland recently told MMAjunkie.com that the circumstances may be right for the winner between them to get the next shot.

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